Euro Lottery

Euro Lottery has multiple meanings depending on European localisation; however the most popular is when referencing EuroMillions and is a phrase still used today as an abbreviation of EuroMillions Lottery.

The term 'Euro Lottery' originated around 1994 when rumours started circulating about a lottery in which a number of European countries would participate. The original idea had been to launch this euro lottery at the same time as a single European currency but bureaucracy, politics and other miscellaneous factors meant that the plan was delayed several times before finally launching under the brand name 'EuroMillions' some ten years later.

EuroMillions was initially launched with just France, Spain and the UK participating. However, public interest was so high that shortly after the inaugural EuroMillions draw, six other countries applied to join and in October 2004, just eight months after the launch of the new euro lottery, the participation of Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland was confirmed.

In 2011 rumours started circulating about another euro lottery which would target countries not already participating in EuroMillions. Speculation was rife that this lottery would actually be called 'Euro Lottery' but, in 2012, the name 'EuroJackpot' was chosen to avoid any potential confusion with the EuroMillions game.

The two multi-national euro lottery games have a similar game structure but although EuroJackpot operates in 16 countries compared to EuroMillions operating in just nine, EuroMillions remains the more popular of the two euro lotteries.

Comparison Between the Euro Lotteries

5 from 50 and 2 from 11

Game Format

5 from 50 and 2 from 10

€15 million

Minimum Jackpot

€10 million

€190,000,000

Highest Ever Jackpot

€61,170,753

1 in 13

Overall Odds of Winning a Prize

1 in 26

1 in 116,531,800

Odds of Winning Jackpot

1 in 95,344,200

Tuesday and Friday21:00 CET (20:00 GMT)

Drawn

Friday21:00 EET (19:00 GMT)

Euro Lottery Scams

While most players of both lotteries will know the official names, people outside of Europe still use the term 'Euro Lottery' due to a lack of familiarity with the official games. Unfortunately this has led to a rise in lottery scams claiming to be from the 'Euro Lottery' and which have deceived people into believing that an official game with that name exists and that they have won a prize.

We advise all players to be vigilant when receiving an email claiming to be from the 'Euro Lottery' and, while the term is commonly used to describe either EuroMillions or EuroJackpot, no such game technically exists and the use of it as a brand name is a clear indication that the communication is an attempt to deceive the recipient. Further details on scams and how avoid becoming a victim can be found on the Lottery Scams page.

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